Cholecystokinins (CCK) and gastrin are structurally-related neuropeptides which exist in gastrointestinal tissue and in the the central nervous system (see, V. Mutt, Gastrointestinal Hormones, G. B. J. Glass, Ed., Raven Press, N.Y., p. 169 and G. Nisson, ibid, p. 127).
Cholecystokinins include CCK-33, a neuropeptide of thirty-three amino acids in its originally isolated form (see, Mutt and Jorpes, Biochem. J. 125, 678 (1971)), its carboxylterminal octapeptide, CCK-8 (a naturally-occurring neuropeptide, also, and the minimum fully active sequence), and 39- and 12-amino acid forms, while gastrin occurs in 34-, 17- and 14-amino acid forms, with the minimum active sequence being the C-terminal pentapeptide, Gly-Trp-Met-Asp-Phe-NH.sub.2, which is the common structural element shared by both CCK and gastrin.
CCK's are believed to be physiological satiety hormones, thereby possibly playing an important role in appetite regulation (G. P. Smith, Eating and Its Disorders, A. J. Stunkard and E. Stellar, Eds, Raven Press, New York, 1984, p. 67), as well as also stimulating colonic motility, gall bladder contraction, pancreatic enzyme secretion, and inhibiting gastric emptying. They reportedly co-exist with dopamine in certain mid-brain neurons and thus may also play a role in the functioning of dopaminergic systems in the brain, in addition to serving as neurotransmitters in their own right (see: A. J. Prange et al., "Peptides in the Central Nervous System", Ann. Repts. Med. Chem. 17, 31, 33 [1982] and references cited therein; J. A. Williams, Biomed. Res. 3 107 [1982]); and J. E. Morley, Liee Sci. 30, 479, [1982]).
The primary role of gastrin, on the other hand, appears to be stimulation of the secretion of water and electrolytes from the stomach, and, as such, it is involved in control of gastric acid and pepsin secretion. Other physiological effects of gastrin then include increased mucosal blood flow and increased antral motility, with rat studies having shown that gastrin has a positive trophic effect on the gastric mucosa, as evidenced by increased DNA, RNA and protein synthesis.
Antagonists to CCK and to gastrin have been useful for preventing and treating CCK-related and/or gastrin-related disorders of the gastrointestinal (GI) and central nervous (CNS) systems of animals, especially of humans. Just as there is some overlap in the biological activities of CCK and gastrin, antagonists also tend to have affinity for both receptors. In a practical sense, however, there is enough selectivity to the different receptors that greater activity against specific CCK- or gastrin-related disorders can often also be identified.
Selective CCK antagonists are themselves useful in treating CCK-related disorders of the appetite regulatory systems of animals as well as in potentiating and prolonging opiate-mediated analgesia, thus having utility in the treatment of pain [see P. L. Faris et al., Science 226, 1215 (1984)], while selective gastrin antagonists are useful in the modulation of CNS behavior, as a palliative for gastrointestinal neoplasms, and in the treatment and prevention of gastrin-related disorders of the gastrointestinal system in humans and animals, such as peptic ulcers, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, antral G cell hyperplasia and other conditions in which reduced gastrin activity is of therapeutic value.
Also, since CCK and gastrin also have trophic effects on certain tumors [K. Okyama, Hokkaido J. Med. Sci., 60, 206-216 (1985)], antagonists of CCK and gastrin are useful in treating these tumors [see, R. D. Beauchamp et al., Ann. Surg., 202,303 (1985)].
Four distinct chemical classes of CCK-receptor antagonists have been reported. The first class comprises derivatives of cyclic nucleotides, of which dibutyryl cyclic GMP has been shown to be the most potent by detailed structure-function studies (see, N. Barlos et al., Am. J. Physiol., 242, G 161 (1982) and P. Robberecht et al., Mol., Pharmacol., 17, 268 (1980)).
The second class comprises peptide antagonists which are C-terminal fragments and analogs of CCK, of which both shorter (Boc-Met-Asp-Phe-NH.sub.2, Met-Asp-Phe-NH.sub.2), and longer (Cbz-Tyr(SO.sub.3 H)-Met-Gly-Trp-Met-Asp-NH.sub.2) C-terminal fragments of CCK can function as CCK antagonists, according to recent structure-function studies (see, R. T. Jensen et al., Biochem. Biophys. Acta., 757, 250 (1983), and M. Spanarkel et al., J. Biol. Chem., 258, 6746 (1983)). The latter compound was recently reported to be a partial agonist [see, J. M. Howard et al., Gastroenteroloqy 86(5) Part 2, 1118 (1984)].
Then, the third class of CCK-receptor antagonists comprises the amino acid derivatives: Proglumide, a derivative of glutaramic acid, and the N-acyl tryptophans including para-chlorobenzoyl-L-tryptophan (benzotript), [see, W. F. Hahne et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 78, 6304 (1981), R. T. Jensen et al., Biochem. Biophys. Acta., 761, 269 (1983)]. All of these compounds, however, are relatively weak antagonists of CCK (IC.sub.50 : generally 10.sup.-4 M [although more potent analogs of proglumide have been recently reported in F. Makovec et al., Arzneim-Forsch Drug Res., 35 (II), 1048 (1985) and in German Patent Application No. DE 3522506A1], but down to 10.sup.-6 M in the case of peptides), and the peptide CCK-antagonists have substantial stability and absorption problems.
In addition, a fourth class consists of improved CCK-antagonists comprising a nonpeptide of novel structure from fermentation sources [R. S. L. Chang et al., Science, 230, 177-179 (1985)] and 3-substituted benzodiazepines based on this structure [published European Patent Applications 167 919, 167 920 and 169 392, B. E. Evans et al, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 83, p. 4918-4922 (1986) and R. S. L. Chang et al, ibid, p. 4923-4926] have also been reported.
No really effective receptor antagonists of the in vivo effects of gastrin have been reported (J. S. Morley, Gut Pept. Ulcer Proc., Hiroshima Symp. 2nd, 1983, p. 1), and very weak in vitro antagonists, such as proglumide and certain peptides have been described [(J. Martinez, J. Med. Chem. 27, 1597 (1984)]. Recently, however, pseudopeptide analogs of tetragastrin have been reported to be more effective gastrin antagonists than previous agents [J. Martinez et al., J. Med. Chem., 28, 1874-1879 (1985)].
The benzodiazepine (BZD) structure class, which has been widely exploited as therapeutic agents, especially as central nervous system (CNS) drugs, such as anxiolytics, and which exhibits strong binding to "benzodiazepine receptors" in vitro, has not in the past been reported to bind to CCK or gastrin receptors. Benzodiazepines have been shown to antagonize CCK-induced activation of rat hippocampal neurones but this effect is mediated by the benzodiazepine receptor, not the CCK receptor [see J. Bradwejn et al., Nature, 312, 363 (1984)]. Of these reported BZD's, additionally, the large majority do not contain substituents attached to the 3-position of the seven membered ring, as it is well known in the art that 3-substituents result in decreasing anxiolytic activity, especially as these substituents increase in size.
It was, therefore, an object of this invention to identify substances which more effectively antagonize the function of cholecystokinins and gastrin in disease states in animals, preferably mammals, especially in humans. It was another object of this invention to prepare novel compounds which more selectively inhibit cholecystokinins or inhibit gastrin. It was still another object of this invention to develop a method of antagonizing the functions of cholecystokinin and gastrin in disease states in mammals. It is also an object of this invention to develop a method of preventing or treating disorders of the gastrointestinal, central nervous and appetite regulatory systems of mammals, especially of humans, or of increasing food intake of animals.